World on Right Track as Countries Set Aims to Cut Gas Emissions

The world is on the right track to address climate change, as the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) already show a considerable progress compared to the previous years, Tim Groser, Minister of Trade and Climate Change issues of New Zealand, told Sputnik.

PARIS (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko – In preparation for a comprehensive climate agreement, almost 200 countries gathering at the Paris conference have submitted their objectives of emission reductions that they find acceptable and feasible. In order to prevent catastrophic consequences, global temperature rising should be kept below 2 degrees Celsius, according to scientists' findings.

The experts’ calculations "have made it that without those actions spelled out in INDCs the planet is on track to [temperature rise] between 3 and 4 degrees. With INDCs it's 2.7. So to me 2.7 is a very considerable improvement over 3 or 4 degrees," Groser said.

Groser said he believed that a provision requiring the review of each countries' commitments will be included in the deal.

"So what is not politically doable today, has very reason to be doable tomorrow. There is a principle of no back-sliding here," the minister added.

The Paris talks aim to reach a legally binding agreement that would replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, dealing with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.